1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to a friction clutch, comprising a flywheel; a housing assembly, which is or can be connected to the flywheel for rotation in common around a rotational axis; a pressure plate, which is installed in the housing assembly so that it can move in the axial direction but is essentially unable to rotate with respect to the housing; an energy-producing device, by means of which the pressure plate is or can be pretensioned toward the flywheel; and a clutch disk assembly with an area located between the pressure plate and the flywheel which can be acted upon via an intermediate friction lining element assembly to transmit torque.
2. Description of the Related Art
The conventional friction clutches known in the state of the art consist basically of a design in which the surfaces of the pressure plate and the flywheel, which are made of metal, are provided with friction surfaces, which are opposed by friction linings attached to the clutch disk. This is a practical arrangement, because most of the wear usually occurs in the area of the friction linings, and when they are worn down, only the clutch disk needs to be replaced.
It is the object of the present invention to improve the friction clutch of the general type in question in such a way that the operating behavior of the drive system equipped with a friction clutch of this type is improved.
According to the present invention, the friction lining element assembly comprises at least one friction lining element on the flywheel and/or at least one friction lining element on the pressure plate.
In a departure from the known approach taken in the state of the art, the present invention now locates the friction linings on the flywheel or on the pressure plate; that is, in terms of the torque being transmitted from the drive assembly, the friction linings are shifted to the input side of the friction clutch. In terms of operation, this results in two significant advantages. The first advantage is that the clutch disk connected via a transmission input shaft to the transmission can be designed to weigh less and to have a lower moment of inertia. This leads to a decrease in the inertia on the transmission input side, as a result of which the length of the synchronization phase required during the shifting of gears can be decreased. The second advantage is that, by shifting the friction linings to the clutch input side, the mass and the moment of inertia there are increased, with the advantage that, in the area of the drive assemblies, any rotational irregularities which may develop can be absorbed more effectively by the much larger rotating mass.
For example, it is possible to provide a plurality of friction lining elements on the pressure plate and/or on the flywheel, these elements proceeding in sequence around the circumference.
To fix each friction lining element in place, for each friction lining element provided on the pressure plate or on the flywheel, a recess can be provided in the pressure plate or in the flywheel which holds a certain area of the friction lining element. To provide in particular for the axial retention of the individual friction lining elements as well, it is proposed that an area of the material of the pressure plate or flywheel surrounding the recess be deformed or deformable so that it can retain the minimum of one friction lining element. For this purpose, for example, it is possible for the area of the minimum of one friction lining element which fits into the recess to expand toward the base of the recess and/or to be supported on a support element projecting beyond the circumference of the friction lining.
The minimum of one friction lining element can be held in the recess in a manner which makes axial movement essentially impossible.
To achieve an effect equivalent to mounting the lining on springs, the minimum of one friction lining element can be held in the recess with freedom of axial movement. This can be realized, for example, by a design in which the minimum of one friction lining element is or can be supported with respect to the base of the recess by an elastically deformable spring device. The minimum of one friction lining element can be embedded in damping material such as a granulated material.
The minimum of one friction lining element can be essentially circular.
For the sake of withstanding the loads which occur and nevertheless reducing the mass on the transmission input side, it has been found advantageous in a friction clutch designed in accordance with the invention for at least the area of the clutch disk which cooperates with the friction lining element assembly to be made of organic or inorganic material, preferably a ceramic composite material.
The present invention also pertains to a pressure plate or a flywheel on which at least one friction lining element is provided.
Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed solely for purposes of illustration and not as a definition of the limits of the invention, for which reference should be made to the appended claims. It should be further understood that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale and that, unless otherwise indicated, they are merely intended to conceptually illustrate the structures and procedures described herein.